Mokoia Island

Mokoia is a rhyolite dome rising from the middle of Lake Rotorua, and it carries the best-known love story in Maori tradition: Hinemoa, a young woman of high rank on the shore, was forbidden to go to Tutanekai on the island, and her people beached the canoes to stop her - so she swam, guided across the dark water by the sound of his flute, using dried gourds for buoyancy, and came ashore at the hot pool now called Hinemoa's Pool, which is still there and still hot. The island is owned by the descendants of the Te Arawa hapu with interests in it, and access is only with a licensed guide - independent landing is not allowed, and that is enforced. It is predator-free, so saddleback, kokako, stitchbird and North Island robin are present, and the trips combine the birds with the storytelling. Boats leave from the Rotorua lakefront.

What you actually see

• Hinemoa's Pool - the hot pool at the end of the swim in the story.
• The birds - saddleback, kokako and stitchbird on predator-free ground.
• The guided storytelling - the tradition told by people it belongs to.
• The lake crossing - fifteen minutes from the Rotorua lakefront.

When to go

October to April. Trips must be booked with a licensed operator; there is no independent access. Lake conditions can cancel crossings.

Honest expectations

You cannot land independently - the island is privately owned and guided access is the only route. Trips are ticketed and run to a schedule. Bag checks for pests apply.

Nearby

Rotorua lakefront is the departure point; Te Puia and Whakarewarewa are in town.